When the precipitation intensified in the early morning hours Friday, many people failed to receive or respond to flood warnings at riverside campsites known to be in the floodplain.

Eight-year-old girls at sleep-away camp, families crammed into recreational vehicles, local residents traveling to or from work. These are some of the victims.

Texas has identified more than $50 billion in flood control needs, but lawmakers have devoted just $1.4 billion to address them

Texas leads the country in flood deaths. Steep hills, shallow soils and a fault zone have made Hill Country, also called "flash flood alley," one of the state's most dangerous regions.

At least 111 people have been killed and a further 173 are still missing after catastrophic flash flooding swept through Central Texas. Officials fear that the death toll could soar as search and rescue efforts entered their sixth day Wednesday, as hundreds of local, state and federal emergency responders sifted through debris for survivors.

Here's what to know about the deadly flooding, the colossal weather system that drove it and ongoing efforts to identify victims.

The record of frequent, often deadly floods in Central Texas goes back more than 200 years to July 1819, when floodwaters spilled into the major plazas of San Antonio. That city on the edge of the Hill Country was hit by major floods again in 1913, 1921, 1998 and 2025, to cite a few examples.

As heavy rains led to heartbreaking losses at a Texas girls camp, other parts of the state were swamped over the July 4 weekend.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows took an aerial tour surveying damage that was left behind in Kerr County.